The New Girl
by Sonya Rivers
Summary: Silentstrike is a hero just discovering her powers. She joins up with the Teen Titans after an incident in her hometown leaves her homeless and without a family. With the Titan's help, she's learning to control her powers. But then Slade shows up.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: I know that it's been a while since I've been on here, but I'm snowed in and this idea's been bugging me all day. If no one reviews, I won't post any more. If someone takes pity on the poor bored writer, I'll continue._

_Welcome to My Side of the River_

_Sonya_

I stared up at the tower. The foreboding T towered over Jump City, comforting, and yet really, really creepy.

I took a deep breath, shutting down all thought so that I couldn't tell myself that it was a bad idea. Then, I walked up to the door.

And knocked.

Several yells of "NOT IT!" greeted me, and one happy laugh of "I get to receive the bells of entrance!"

"Doorbell, Starfire. Doorbell." Said another voice.

The door slid open, to reveal Starfire of the Teen Titans. "May I help you?" Starfire seemed confused.

"Who is it Star?" Asked a voice I recognized as Robin.

"I don't know. A stranger." She replied, still staring at me.

"WHAT! A STRANGER! Star, you gotta be kidding. No stranger can get past my…" Cyborg stopped short as he saw me standing there, with the wreck of his defense system standing behind me. "Defense system?!" He choked out.

Beast Boy, predictably, did a little happy dance right there in the doorway. "FINALLY! Someone beat Cy's 'all-powerful' defense system!"

Raven was right behind her boyfriend. She calmly took in the scene behind me, and looked at me with a blank expression. "Who did you say you were, again?" She asked in her usual monotone.

Robin jumped in front of everyone easily. "Yeah, who are you anyway? Are you working for Slade?"

That last comment was followed by groans and cries of "Robin!" And "Not again!"

"I'm not working for Slade or anyone else evil."

"Then why are you here?" Raven was obviously not the diplomatic type.

I took a deep breath…

And burst into flames.


	2. AN

_Author's Note: You people leave me no choice. NOT ONE PERSON HAS REVIEWD THIS STORY. COME ON!!!! I need a reason to continue it, and so far, no one has given me one. Just click the little green button. Even if it's only a few words, they'll go a long way._


	3. A New Hero?

_Author's Note: Wow! Thanks, guys! I wasn't expecting so many reviews. I guess I'm continuing the story. And now, onto answering a few questions:_

_why so serouse?? () – My pairings are RobStar and BBRae. I LOVE BBRae, and am a really big Terra basher. Can't help it. As for plot, re-read the summary. I don't want to give away anything else just yet._

_101stellestella – Thank you! And I happen to like dorky people, so I guess it showed. But he would definitely rub it in Cyborg's face, at lest._

_This chapter is dedicated to Surina Fenton x, my first reviewer. Thanks!_

_Now, onto the actual chapter._

_Welcome to My Side of the River_

_Sonya_

Starfire screamed, while the other Titans stared at me in horror. Robin, being the leader, was the first to jump into action. "Beast Boy! Get the fire extinguisher!"

"No, it's okay." I reassured them, extinguishing the flames. "That's why I'm here. I have control over fire, and I want to join your team."

"To what degree?" Asked Robin.

"I can spontaneously burst into flames, with no damage to me. I can start fires by thinking of them. I can also extinguish them by though, and smoke has no effect on me." I replied truthfully. "I haven't tested beyond that."

"Come in, then." Robin's invitation allowed me to enter the tower, ability I had not had until now. I stepped over the threshold, and up the stairs, up to their living room.

Starfire was ecstatic. "Friend, are you going to live with us? Friend, do you like the shopping? Friend, where are your belongings? Friend, what is your name?"

Raven simply raised her eyebrows at me, as if daring me to deal with Starfire. I knew that the two of us would get along well.

"I guess, if Robin would let me. I don't like it, but I don't hate it. And I have no belongings." I closed my eyes as the memories crashed upon me, silently fighting them back. Not now. I couldn't allow myself to remember the past. Live in the present, look not to the future or past. That was my mantra.

"NO BELONGINGS?! Friend, we must fix that. Soon!" I knew she meant for me to go shopping with her, but I feigned ignorance, turning to Cyborg.

"Hey, Cyborg? If I really am staying here, could you make me a fireproof uniform? I don't mean fire resistant, I mean FIREPROOF. And can you make it porous enough to allow my fire out?"

Cyborg grinned. "Actually, I have just the thing for you. I developed a material last week, and I've been DYING to try it out. I'll rig you up with a communicator, too."

"Cool."

"But seriously, what is your name?" Beast Boy butted in. "And do you like tofu?"

"Call me Silentstrike." I said. "As for tofu… no."

Cyborg laughed. "Finally! Someone else who hates the vile stuff!"

"It is NOT vile!" And they were off bickering again, debating the epic topic of tofu vs meat.

I sighed, glancing at Raven, head in her book. "Now you know how I feel." She calmly stated.

"I get the impression that this is only a taste of what you feel." I was going to have to get used to it. This is, after all, my new home.

The gigantic TV screen flared to life just then, displaying a video feed of Aqualad, one of the Titans East. He looked awfully familiar…

"Robin. Bumblebee said to tell you that there is no updates on Slade."

It was his voice that did it. No… But how…

"She also said that…" It was then that Aqualad's eyes fell on me. "Bri!?"


	4. Reunion

_Author's Note: Sorry I haven't written in a while. Midterms kinda killed me._

_Amethyst Turtle - Out of random curiosity, what kind of author am I?_

_Welcome to My Side of the River_

_Sonya_

"Garth?" I barely contained the shock threatening to spread across my face.

Garth- no, Aqualad now, spoke. "I'll be over in a minute." And then he was gone.

The Titans turned towards me. Even though none of them spoke, I could see the questions in their eyes. Who are you? How do you know him?

Who am I? I used to be Bri Keifer, a normal high school girl. I used to have two parents, a younger brother, and an amazing boyfriend. All of that changed after Slade came.

He completely destroyed my town, leaving it a pile of ash and rubble. Why? Because I defied him. I refused to join his side, mistakenly believing that all of his words were empty threats. I'd known about my powers from an early age, carefully hiding it from those around me. But Slade knew, and he used my town as bait to get me. When I didn't go, he destroyed everything important to me.

Or so I'd believed. Garth used to be that wonderful boyfriend. I though he died in the turmoil like everyone else had. It took me a year to accept my loss, and that was when I came here.

Now, I'm Silentstrike, a sixteen-year-old superhero in training. I had chestnut hair, which hung, braided, down to my ribs. I was average height, five foot four, with chalk-pale skin, and coal-black eyes, so dark that you couldn't tell iris from pupil. My eye color, however, wasn't definite. If I got really, truly angry, and lost control… the red eyes of a demon stared out of them.

Luckily, Aqualad decided to interrupt the increasingly awkward silence with his entrance. "Bri?"

He was just how I remembered him. He was rapidly approaching six feet tall, with jet-black hair hanging to his shoulders, and eyes as dark as mine. Unlike me, however, he had that effortless tan I always envy.

"Is there a place we can talk in private?" I asked Robin.

"The roof." He pointed towards the door leading to said area. I quickly headed up, with Aqualad close behind.

Out on the roof, it was calm, peaceful, the ocean gently massaging away the shore. I stood near the edge, fearless.

"Bri…" Aqualad said again. "It really is you."

I turned towards him, seeing the trust and hope I had longed for in his eyes. "It is. But I go by Silentstrike now."

"So… you're joining the team?" He seemed to be avoiding that one question I was also afraid to ask.

"Yup."

Evidently, he had been hoping that I'd explain everything to him. Why I left. What I concealed. Everything.

"I'm sorry." I whispered. There were no words to explain the pain… no, guilt that I felt. Those were the only ones that came close.

He strode forward, gently tugging me back from the edge to envelope me in his arms. "It isn't your fault. But I would like to know… what is your power?"

"Fire." I said. He let go of me, enough so that I could see the disbelief in his expression. I held out my hand, igniting a small blaze in the center of my palm.

We looked at each other, and laughed at the irony of the situation. Fire and water should repel. But when it was us… we became the white-hot steam.

"Do you think… we could be…" Words failed me once again, not allowing me to say those four words. _Boyfriend and girlfriend again._

"I don't see why not. Bee and Cy manage. Why not us?" I smiled. Everything might just turn out all right after all.

He sat down, legs dangling over the edge, patting the seat next to him. I joined him. "Now, tell me what you've been up to."


	5. Catching Up

_Author's Note: Yes, I'm evil for not updating in forever. You can blame school for that. But I'm updating now._

_Welcome to My Side of the River_

_Sonya_

I took a deep breath. "After Slade came… I went to Montana." Aqualad raised his eyebrows at my choice of scenery. "There are barely any people there. It's a place to think, without any human interaction." Or, in this case, a place to wallow in misery without others to kick you down further.

"I stayed there for a while. It was so peaceful… calm… pure…there was no taint left by humanity there. Just me and the mountains."

"What happened to make you leave?" He asked.

"I had a revelation. You came to me in a dream, and told me that I had to stop being selfish. You told me that I was given this power to help humanity, and that living like a hermit wasn't going to save anyone. So I came here. You?"

"I immediately joined the Titans after you went missing. I figured that I wasn't going to allow anyone else's love to be taken away from them like you had been taken from me, and became Aqualad." He shrugged.

"I should have told you." I whispered. "I should have told you about Slade… my powers… everything. But I was afraid. I didn't even tell my parents about this."

"I should have told you too, about me. But we can't change the past, so we have to fix the present."

He looked at me, his dark eyes beckoning me, tempting me to immerse myself in their depths. Slowly, he slid closer. I allowed my eyes to slide shut, and he pressed his lips to mine.

This wasn't anything like our other kisses, back before Slade. They were always gentle, letting me know he was there for me. This was far, far better. There was an edge of hunger to it, like he was making up for lost time.

Sadly, our make-out session was interrupted by a certain green shape-changer. "Bri! Garth! Lunch!" He immediately caught sight of my peeved expression shared by the boy next to me, and realized what he'd interrupted.

"Beast boy, my name is Silentstrike." I reminded him.

"Yeah, but Bri is shorter." He protested.

"If Slade ever finds out I'm here, Beast Boy…" I let my sentence hang, giving him the opportunity to imagine what kinds of havoc Slade would wreck on Jump City.

He paled. "But now I have to find another nickname!"

"Too bad." I stood up. "You heard him, G. Lunch. And I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

"Now that you mention it…." Typical Garth. Always hungry.

He took my hand, and we went inside, ready to endure whatever teasing the rest of the team had for us.


End file.
